Alan K. Simpson

Alan Kooi Simpson (born September 2, 1931) is an American politician who served from 1979 to 1997 as a United States Senator from Wyoming as a member of the Republican Party. His father, Milward L. Simpson, was also a member of the U.S. Senate from Wyoming (1962–1967) and a former Governor of Wyoming (1955–1959) as well. Simpson was appointed in 2010 to co-chair President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform with co-chair Erskine Bowles. Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of Lorna (née Kooi) and politician Milward L. Simpson. His middle name, "Kooi", comes from his maternal grandfather, whose parents were Dutch immigrants. As a young man, Simpson was a Boy Scout, and visited Japanese American...